Scottish Fishermen's Federation Short-listed for Business Award

UK - SFF Services has been short-listed in the Green Business of the Year category at the 2013 Scottish Business Awards. The companys marine mammal observation and monitoring environmental work earned it an invitation to apply for this category.

The application also promoted the sustainability work of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and its constituent associations as well as projects supported by the Scottish Fishermen’s Trust.

Chief Executive Officer, Bertie Armstrong said: “We are delighted that our application has taken us through to this stage of Scotland’s premier business awards. The benefits provided by SFF Services to the marine environment are widespread.

“The company has increased its offering of environmental monitoring work over the years to meet the requirements of our seismic clients and this short-listing recognises the work undertaken by both our operations team and our experienced pool of offshore personnel in ensuring that cetaceans are not disturbed by development work while also helping to build a picture of their occurrence around our shores.

“Since 2001 and the implementation of the Cod Recovery Plan, SFF Services has assisted fishermen by securing alternative revenue streams to support their businesses. In 2012 alone, the company facilitated over 9,000 non-fishing days at sea for vessels. To put this figure into perspective, this is equivalent to the average annual effort of 65 fishing vessels. This work helps keep fishing vessels viable by supplementing fishing activity.

“Over the years, SFF Services has donated more than £800,000 to the Scottish Fishermen’s Trust. This has funded many projects, including; trials for selective fishing gears, scientific studies undertaken to enhance stock assessment and support for the assessment of a number of key fisheries for certification under the Marine Stewardship Council standard.

“In co-operation with Marine Scotland and the European Fisheries Fund, SFF Services has been managing a successful Fisheries Observer Scheme since 2008. This involves experienced fisheries observers gathering scientific data from fishing trips which is then internally verified and processed by a trained data analyst before being made available to inform fisheries management.”